GALESBURG, Illinois -
Jury costs are skyrocketing in Illinois these days.
That's after a 2015 state law forced counties to more than double the pay for jury duty.
"It's a classic case of, if it isn't broken - don't try to fix it," said Knox County State's Attorney John Pepmeyer.
But the state is making counties pay a lot more for jurors.
In Knox County, the daily fee jumped from $15 to $25. Each extra day pays $50 more.
"You're not funding it," said Knox County Board Member Lyle Johnson. "You're telling us that we have to, in essence, double what we're paying jurors."
In Knox County, the unfunded mandate is already busting its yearly budget for jury trials.
"I don't think there was a public outcry calling for this increase in fees," Pepmeyer continued. "It's quite costly to counties our size."
To seat jurors for the next seven months, the Knox County Board must pump in an extra $20,000 from cash reserves.
The county has already spent more than $23,000 on juries in 2016.
With a handful of jury trials still possible this year, that cost will climb.
For all of 2015, it paid just $16,000.
"These unfunded mandates are continually taking away funds that could be better used to provide services to the public," said Knox County Treasurer Robin Davis.
While the county begins to consider a legislative or legal repeal, it's still stuck with the bills.
"Where is this money going to come from?" Johnson asked.
Judges are working to minimize jury days in Knox County to reduce the mounting expenses.
"If the legislature had thought this through and crafted it to single out counties our size or less in population, we wouldn't be going through what we're going through right now," Pepmeyer concluded.
For now, a higher price for justice that's costing Knox County taxpayers.